Medical instruments or implants, more particularly dental implants, are often provided to the medical or dental practitioner in a sterile state. In order to ensure the sterile state during transport and storage, the packaging of the implant must have a sterile barrier, which is often formed by an outer packaging element. Moreover, the packaging of implants, more particularly of dental implants, has a further packaging element that protects the implant from mechanical influences, in particular abrasion. Containers are used as further packaging element and these moreover protect the implant from unnecessary contact with other materials, which could chemically contaminate or inactivate the surface of the implant.
Implants are usually held with an auxiliary tool, which allows or should ease the insertion of the implant in the patient. Thus, for example, dental implants are often held by means of a (screw-in) adapter and screwed into the bone with the aid of a socket wrench. Suitable containers should therefore ensure that the implant is not contaminated chemically, biologically or by particles or excessively loaded by germs during the removal from the container and the insertion into the auxiliary tool.
EP-A-1 749 501 discloses a holding element for a dental implant, comprising an engagement segment suitable for engaging with a processing tool, an attachment segment suitable for being attached to a packaging and a clamping segment suitable for attaching a dental implant on the holding element. The clamping segment has a force-transmission element and a clamping element.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,097 B1 describes a holding element that can be screwed into a female thread of a bore hole in an implant. The holding element serves to mount the implant in the interior of an ampoule and to apply a screwing-in tool during the implantation.